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A lot of people think that green laning is off roading,this is really wide of the mark as green lanes as I know them are legal public roads.Fair enough they can be termed tracks but they are public roads and can be traversed by motor vehicles which must be road legal as the highway code still applies in every aspect of it.
There is at present a group of anti's who would like to see us off the lanes for good and unfortunately there are a few green laners who do our cause no good what so ever with their behaviour.Thankfully the vast majority of green laners are rational,sensible people but it only takes one idiot and we are all tarred with the same brush and no amount of legislation will stop the gung ho brigade.
According to some reports we are allowed on only 5% of the available lanes as a lot in recent times have been reclassified as footpaths and bridle ways,it would be a crying shame to loose what few lanes we have got because as the situation is at present there is enough room for every body to enjoy what the British countryside has to offer and to get there by what ever means they choose whether that be on foot,cycle,horse, motor cycle or 4X4.
It looks like a farm track but is in fact a public highway
When out on a green lane trip it pays dividends for our cause to be responsible and courteous at all times even when someone is trying to give you some grief about what you are doing.Don't try to argue but try to put over your point of view in a calm and rational manner.
The best way to start green laning is to join a Land Rover club or 4X4 club and take advantage of their knowledge that has been gained over many years.They will be more than happy to mark up your maps and give you advice on how to travel the lanes safely and responsibly.
I hate side slopes but be warned this is the sort of terrain you may encounter
(Picture courtesy of Karl)
If you are wanting to be more adventurous with your Land Rover, once again join your local or regional Land Rover club and start trialling I have done a bit in the past and it is a great way to learn how to drive off road.A lot of clubs run training days for off road driving and if you've never done it you will be surprised at what your Land Rover is capable of.
Green laning in winter is brilliant.A totaly different driving experience
I would strongly recommend that you join a club to get the most out of your vehicle but if you just want to have a play off road occasionaly there are places up and down the country where you can just turn up pay your money and play all day.
If you join a club there are several levels of trialing starting with the TYRO which is a greek word for new so if you've got a shiny motor that you want to keep that way this trial may be the one for you.If my info is correct i do believe that 14 yr olds can now drive in the Tyro trial so you can let your little darlings have a go!!!!!.
The next stage up in the trial stakes is the RTV which stands for road taxed vehicles and is just that for road taxed vehicles which must be taxed,tested and insured.All vehicles are scrutineered before a trial to make sure there are no serious or dangerous faults which may prove fatal so if your motor fails at the scrutineering stage don't be to upset it is for your own and others safety.
CCV trial at Eckington with the Peak and Dukeries Land Rover Club
If the trialing bug gets you the next stage up is the CCV which stands for cross country vehicle.This type of trialing requires that a roll cage and harnesses are fitted to an exact standard as laid down in the rules and regulations that cover the sport,I won't go into detail here a full set of rules and guide lines can be obtained at your club.The ccv motors drive a more demanding course hence the need for more safety.
If you feel the need for speed the next stage up in the trialing league is the COMP SAFARI this is where people have their brains taken out inserted up their rear ends and go tear arsing around a set cross country course as fast as they can go.
So what ever you want to do with your Land Rover join a club and get the most out of it.
Lined up waiting for the scrutineer.It's like going to the dentist it has to be done
I have just had a bit of an embarassing incident at the Rotherham show.Whilst wandering around the show I came across the countryside marquee and went in to have a nosey.I was talking about the lack of driving info regarding green lanes with the man from the council when my daughter came up to me and gave me a sticker with the words LAND ROVER CLIMATE CRIMINALS written on it and when i asked her where it was from she directed me to the far end of the marquee where the Ramblers association had their stand so I immediately went over to have words and promptly stuck the very sticky sticker on one of their brochures and in my gruffest masterful voice said "Are you people real" and was about to launch into a verbal tirade when a woman at the next stand said "Thats one of our stickers".Oops sprang to mind and I was now caught on the hop and the verbal tirade I had prepared vanished from my thoughts as I offered my hurried apologies to the three gobsmacked ramblers behind their counter and peeled the very sticky sticker from the brochure.Fortunately for the woman my irateness subsided a little whilst peeling the very sticky sticker off and when I did manage to have words with her it turned out that she was in with the crowd who invaded Land Rover and stopped production for a day(and very proud of it she was).She wouldn't accept any other persons point of view and after a couple of minutes we parted company and I apologised once more to the ramblers and promised to give them a wave next time I saw them on the lanes and then made a dignified but hurried exit.
On a more serious note some home made devices consisting of metal bars with spikes welded to them have been found in several puddles on a couple of lanes in the Peak District National Park,obviously put there to inflict damage on motor vehicles but one device was found by a horse rider who just happened to spot it in the water.Be aware of this next time you are on the lanes especially if it looks like you are being forced into a puddle by any obstructions at the side of the lane.
Just two of the devices that where found on the lanes.It is a fair assumption,I think,that there may be more of them out there.
It is blatantly obvious that I will be labelled biased but my case for continuing green laning is that the lanes have been there for centuries and have been used as public roads ever since they where first made.According to a report I read we have access to 5% of the original ancient roadways and on the grand scale of things this equates to 400 miles nation wide and as you can see this means that the rest of the available lanes come to a total of 8000 miles is it to much to ask that we be allowed to have access to what little remains for our own use.
As for the farmers and people who have bought property in the vicinity of a green lane it will have been on the deeds or the property search that a green lane was there and as such they should have no complaint because they knew it was there before they bought or inherited their place of residence.
The damage caused by a 4X4 is in my opinion a load of cobblers,the damage I have witnessed has been caused by agricultural use as no 4X4 could make ruts so far apart.I do believe that a 4X4 vehicle does more good than harm especially on a little used route because it keeps the way open and clear for other users.
One of the main objections I have come across is the use of the lanes by motor cycles because due to the nature of the machines they are noisier and faster than a 4X4 but having said that they are proper legal road going vehicles and have every right to be there they are enjoying the countryside in their own way and as such they must be allowed to do so.
Quite a few 4X4 clubs have green lane repair days where they will work with the local councils and repair or clear green lanes that have become over grown or damaged,how many other users of the lanes do this.
We all pay road tax and as such we should be able to travel any road we wish to without let or hinderance.
There is plenty of room in the countryside for everyone surely it would be beneficial to all users if we all got together to lobby parliament for a better deal for every body than to be arguing amongst ourselves.
Is green laning going to go the same way as Fox hunting and if so whats next in the frame for the do gooders,there are already moves afoot to ban ramblers from one lane because of the so called damage they are supposed to have caused,is this the very thin end of the wedge for the ramblers and other users.
Don't think it can't happen to you!!!!!
Winter or summer this is what I am into don't let them take it away!!!!
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